Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1887-05-07
LEGAL ROBBERY.
HUMAN RIGHTS VERSUS HUMAN
DUTIES.

IL SCO 'doU bCdiUI ttO UuC CA pCllSc
OF others; to enslave, to tyrannize,
have been wonderfully successful
Take conspicuous examples among
hundreds equally bad.
England or the Britons were in.
vaded by the Normans. The rob
bers stole the lands and became
lords; then the robbery was sane
toned and legalized by statute law
Thus the mass of the people became
serfs and have remained slaves to
the present day. They have always
given most of the products of Their
labor for the privilege of living in
England, retaining only enough to
sustain hard life, without rest OF
culture. This is robbery and tyran.
ny Oh the one hand and slavery on
the other; no matter how long it is
legalized or by what namei it goes
1t may not be so bad or criminal as
chattel slavery, but it is CALLING
slavery. This is most successful
robbery which has continued for
several centuries, and is still without
remedy.
Take another example. The AS
tors are large land owners in the
city of New York. Thei: tenants
as rule, pay for rent all they earn
over q scanty subsistence; they
spend all their time and wits work.
ing to pay the Astors' rent, and add
several millions of dollars each year
to the value Of the Aston estate.
This simply for the privilege of
living in the city of New York just
the same as the people of England
work all the time for the lords fo1
the privilege of living in England
1t is robbery and slavery in the one
case as much as in the other. And
it is robbery to-day just as much as
it was when William the Conquerol
took possession of the lands OF
England. Legalizing cannot change
its real character. Legalizing can
only blind the intellect and harden
the conscience. This vast legal
robbery in New York city has been
accomplished in one generation.
Where, in the whole world, can
we find such successful efforts as
these for the good of humanity
Why is it that injustice and legal
robbery are so successful, while all
efforts to establish justice have
failed
Every nation and people are such
as their religion is, whether the
church and state are legally united
or not. 1t is impossible to establish
social Justice in any country, excep.
by national law. 1t is impossible TO
secure just laws in any country till a
true moral code is the ruling Gle.
ment in that country, whether the
rule is by majority or minority.
The principal theme and effort OF
all religion, whether Pagan or
Christian, has been to teach man
how to escape hell and attain
heaven, instead Of how to do his
duty. This order Of faith and in
struction must be entirely reversed
before we can have justice, or any
kingdom of heaven on earth.
So far as we know, the effort is
yet to be made by the so-called
Christian church to teach the plain
naked truth publicly. True, many
ministers are now striving in this
direction, but their utterances are
too general and vague; They make
no one see clearly that he is or
would willingly be the robber; they
do not seem to see h0ac the robbery
is effected, and so leave their hear
ers as blind as themselves regarding
the remedy and the imperative
duties at hand. They clearly see
by the effects that there is great
wrong and injustice somewhere and